Kumquat Recipes

Leeks vinaigrette is a simple and healthy recipe to welcome Spring. The leeks are simply steam-cooked and then drizzled with the vinaigrette. I brightened the vinaigrette with some sweet clementines and kumquats from my garden. The zest of the citrus brings a lot of flavor.

Leeks are from the onion family but their taste is much more subtle and mild. In fact, they have a natural, gentle sweetness that can be paired very successfully with more sour, acidic flavors. If you've never had leeks, it's time to give them a try!

I've made a French version of a homemade yogurt recipe. In French I would call it yaourt brassé à la conserve de kumquat au sirop et au nectar d'agave. I got the recipe from a close family friend named Jeannie. She was born and raised in Vietnam and moved to America a decade ago. She always tells me how her family struggled during the Vietnam war, and how she had to learn how to preserve food and make a lot of stuff herself. I love her homemade yogurt and the recipe is quite easy. No need to spend big bucks on a yogurt machine. All you need is a few yogurt jars (or use baby food jars), a big cooler and a warm day.

The result is creamy and sweet. I added some agave syrup that I got from my last trip to Florida and some kumquat preserves from our orchard. I still have probably 2 batches of kumquats that need to be picked. I've made some kumquat marmalade already, some caramelized kumquats for a green salad and some baby zucchini-kumquat relish that I served with some fish. If you guys have any suggestions on recipes that use kumquats, I'm all ears. Do not hesitate to leave me a message.

I miss French yogurt. I remember in the supermarkets in France, there were probably 2 or 3 long aisles of dairy products like mousses, yogurts, crème caramels, flans, etc.I tell Lulu all the time that when I'm pregnant I want to go back to Paris and gorge myself on delicious French food to make sure our baby is a chubby wubby.

Attention: The measuring tool in this recipe here is the can of the condensed milk.

Although my husband is vegetarian, he is not a big fan of simple green lettuce. So I tried to dress it up with little helpers like a citrus relish, cheese and some nuts. The nuts are a great addition of protein for vegetarians.

Of course, the key to a good salad is the vinaigrette. I always try to make my own because the store-bought ones contain preservatives and gum to make the texture more dense, instead of using mustard.

We've been very lucky this year. Our kumquat trees have produced a bumper crop. Yesterday, the girls brought me a huge bucket filled with beautiful kumquats. When I tasted them, I found them a bit sour, so I decided to make a nice batch of marmalade.

As a child, I ate a ton of marmalade on my vacations to Great Britain, but I have to say the best marmalade I've had is made by husband's friend Laura. She adds a dash of vanilla extract to her marmalade which I think really brightens and accents the citrus flavor. She also makes great homemade vinegar.

Broiling grapfruits is extremely easy, and it imparts an added sweetness to the fruit. If you know someone who won't eat grapefruits and complains about the bitterness, this recipe might change their mind.

Just glaze the fruit with a sweetener and place under the broiler of your oven for a few minutes. The combination of the tart and slightly sweet glaze makes it a winner.

I serve it as a side for breakfast or during Sunday brunches. My hubby loves it. Or you can serve it as a first course as I used to get in my middle school cafeteria in France.